AP: S.E.C. Investigates Company Founded by Clinton Donor
The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into spending by a database marketer in Omaha that already faces a lawsuit contending that the company misspent millions, some of it on Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

LA Times: In A Strategy Shift, Clinton Begins Counterpunching
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who for months seemed on a turbulence-free course at the front of the presidential pack, has kicked into a new phase of more-aggressive campaigning designed to address emerging weaknesses and to engage her Democratic rivals more directly.

Washington Times: Word Of Mouth Boosts 'Huck' In Iowa Polls
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has gone from near zero to a statistical tie for first in polls of Iowa Republicans, not because of a superior organization or from spending money, but because of a tactic few candidates can copy: Religious word-of-mouth.

Politico: Huckabee Rivals Unearth Ethics Complaints
As Mike Huckabee gains ground on his rivals for the Republican nomination, opponents have quietly begun highlighting the slew of ethics issues the social conservative faced during his political career in Arkansas.

The State: Bill who?
You might think that Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) - a five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, a New Mexico Congressman for 14 years, ambassador to the United Nations, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, chairman of the 2004 Democratic National Convention and chairman of the Democratic Governors Association - would be the front-runner among Democratic candidates for president.

New York Times: Publicity-Shy Giuliani Backer Is Thrust Into Spotlight
Paul E. Singer is the founding partner of one of the oldest hedge funds around. And while he has become a major donor to Republican and conservative causes in recent years, he has largely managed to stay out of the limelight, even avoiding having his picture appear in newspapers…

DC Examiner: Dour Thompson Says I'm "Just Fred'
Fred Thompson says his often-dour demeanor simply reflects his seriousness about the issues facing the country. "I'm just Fred," he says, and the image that's served him through a successful political career won't be changing.

LA Times' Top of the Ticket: The Name Game Continues In California
Backers of a California initiative that could significantly aid the next Republican presidential nominee said today they're still collecting signatures to qualify it for the state's ballot in June, terming as premature reports that they have wrapped up the process.

Washington Post: Immigrant Paperwork Backs Up At DHS
The Department of Homeland Security failed to prepare for a massive influx of applications for U.S. citizenship and other immigration benefits this summer, prompting complaints from Hispanic leaders and voter-mobilization groups that several hundred thousand people likely will not be granted citizenship in time to cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election.